St. Lucia assumes chair of CIDI

The Organization of American States (OAS) says that the Permanent Representative of St. Lucia Elizabeth Darius-Clarke on Thursday assumed the chair of the OAS’s Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI).

During a ceremony, held at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., Amb. Darius-Clarke, who will hold the position until December 2024, emphasized that, “The role of CIDI is key in ensuring that our work within the OAS remains geared toward sustainable development and the elimination of extreme poverty in our Hemisphere. 

“As St. Lucia assumes the Chair of CIDI, we wholeheartedly support the prioritization of hemispheric connectivity in this Organization,” she said. 

Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the OAS, and outgoing CIDI chair, Amb. Jacinth Henry-Martin, said that, during her reign, “we selected the theme with the buzzwords: connectivity, technology, economic resiliency. 

“Connectivity and technology underpin all facets of our lives, from health to security to education, every engine of economic growth,” she said. “And so, I say to you, please continue to work arduously to ensure that our people are given the tools that they need to be able to better their own lives and to be able to better the lives of future generations.” 

The OAS said the vice chair for the second term of the year will be exercised by the Permanent Representative of Costa Rica, Amb. Alejandra Solano, who takes over from outgoing vice chair and Permanent Representative of Dominica, Amb. Steve Ferrol. 

The chair of CIDI rotates every six months according to alphabetical order in Spanish.